"Derrick is a QB Type defenseman who relies on excellent vision and precision passing. He understands the game so well and sees what is unfolding and then is able to exploit it. He has great poise with the puck and doesn't force things but ensures when you get the puck, that you can do something positive with it. His skating is very good and he has a burst of quickness that allows him to gain a little extra time or space to make a play and he utilizes uses it offensively or defensively. He will jump into the attack and because he knows his options, he can appear to be moving untouched which is due to the opponent having to respect his ability to quickly strike with his passing and thus backing off somewhat. He relies on strong positioning to put himself in the best position to make plays and while he's not a physical player, he's very effective using his body to gain advantages. He has a calm to his play but is competitive and will not succumb to the challenges that come his way. He is a strong puck possession player."
—Craig Button

“The team that drafts Pouliot will be getting a bit of a project, as he seems to struggle with confidence and runs hot and cold from game to game. However, he does hold a skillset that will make him valuable at both ends of the ice.”
—The Scouting Report

Great pick guys, a bit early, but a hell of a player. Check out my report on him. He's the 6th ranked WHL guy in my books, but he might be the best pure offensive guy the WHL has to offer. An elite passer.

When compared to the other defenceman in the draft, Pouliot might have the most offensive potential going forward. He's a great skater with good feet, good edges and the ability to play a high tempo transition game. He might not be as strong of a skater as either Morgan Rielly or Ryan Murray, but he's still well above average.

Not only that, but he's a sublime passer of the puck. He is hands down the top passer of any of the defensive crop for the 2012 draft. In fact, he finished 2nd in the entire WHL in regards to assists for a defenceman with 48. With 11 goals to go along with the assists, he finished with 59 points in 72 games.

I'm not really high on him, to be honest. I had him pegged around 15th BPA in the draft, but I'm no scout and I haven't seen most of these players more than a couple times. I've seen Pouliot about 5 times. His offense is great. His passing in all three zones is superb. He makes long passes or he makes short passes right on the tape. He needs work on his defense, his strength (as most 18 year olds do), but also his ability to contain in 1-on-1 situations. I've seen him get burned one-on-one, usually because he gets over aggressive in going for a poke check, a hit or trying to pick off a pass. Physical play isn't that concerning to me, there's a willingness to play rough, but just not the confidence (yet) to do it consistently. I don't hate the pick and I don't love it.

I don't know much about the prospects to comment one way or the other. Figured it would be Forsberg, but I trust the organization. So, good pick! If even half the defensive prospects in the system develop, the Pens will have a fantastic squad.

Loved the trade, really dislike this pick. Even if we weren't leaning toward Forsberg, there were other defensemen I would've rated higher. Strange move, didn't we acquire Doumolin (sp?) in addition to Sutter? How many prospect defensemen are we trying to stack up?

For people who get worked up over a the choice of a not huge, offensive defesmen, the two top scoring d-man this year are roughly the same size as Pouliot, that being Karlsson and Campbell. Dan Boyle is similar size, as is Shattenkirk and so on. He may end up being crap, may not, no reason to stress about it since he is a few years of development away. It's not like Forsberg or Teravainen were going to be ready for the big time much sooner even if they do fit an organizational need. Shero seemed really keyed in on him and after how well Morrow, Despres, and Harrington look, I'm more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on highly picked d-man.

You'd think think people would be more aware of the lengths teams go to in order to get skilled, puck moving defensemen on their roster. We only got a 40 goal scorer out of a decent one.

I don't know how Pouliot pans out, but the Penguins obviously see something big there, and with guys like Koekkoek and Lindholm also going higher than some suspected, I wouldn't be surprised if other teams felt the same way.

Loved the trade, really dislike this pick. Even if we weren't leaning toward Forsberg, there were other defensemen I would've rated higher. Strange move, didn't we acquire Doumolin (sp?) in addition to Sutter? How many prospect defensemen are we trying to stack up?

You'd think think people would be more aware of the lengths teams go to in order to get skilled, puck moving defensemen on their roster. We only got a 40 goal scorer out of a decent one.

I don't know how Pouliot pans out, but the Penguins obviously see something big there, and with guys like Koekkoek and Lindholm also going higher than some suspected, I wouldn't be surprised if other teams felt the same way.

Does Pouliot really project as a Karlsson-esque player? I don't think I see that level of impact. He seems closer to a Goligoski.

Still don't think he's worthy of the 8th pick, especially with our embarrassment of riches in terms of defensive prospects...but still.

I won't even begin dreaming of Karlsson. I'll gladly ask him to become another Alex Goligoski...I hope he does more, but Gogo was a damn fine top four caliber offensive defenseman, who then proceeded to be worth his weight in gold on the trade market.

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“The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile, but that it is indifferent. If we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death, our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.” - Stanley Kubrick

I'm not really high on him, to be honest. I had him pegged around 15th BPA in the draft, but I'm no scout and I haven't seen most of these players more than a couple times. I've seen Pouliot about 5 times. His offense is great. His passing in all three zones is superb. He makes long passes or he makes short passes right on the tape. He needs work on his defense, his strength (as most 18 year olds do), but also his ability to contain in 1-on-1 situations. I've seen him get burned one-on-one, usually because he gets over aggressive in going for a poke check, a hit or trying to pick off a pass. Physical play isn't that concerning to me, there's a willingness to play rough, but just not the confidence (yet) to do it consistently. I don't hate the pick and I don't love it.

Clearly the Penguins are high on him.

Probably only 1 more in the WHL I would think. Won't have much left to learn at the WHL level by the time thats over. Unreal offensively, I sure hope he gets to play in some defensive situations next year though, because he wasnt allowed out there this year in them.